Liu previously was President Barack Obama’s choice for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. But that nomination was blocked by Republicans, who objected to Liu’s written positions and said he was too inexperienced for the post. Liu eventually withdrew his candidacy.

The 40-year-old Georgia native graduated from Yale Law School. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and worked as an appellate litigator in Washington before joining the UC Berkeley faculty in 2003.

Liu would replace Justice Carlos Moreno, who announced his retirement earlier this year.